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This robot will clean your barbecue, and other bizarre robotics at CES

By Samuel Gibbs, The Guardian

Posted:
01/09/2014 08:43:56 AM MST

Updated:
01/09/2014 08:44:01 AM MST

WowWee's MiP, a balancing robot that can be controlled by hand motions or smartphones, carries a can of energy drink at the International Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, in Las Vegas. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

This year's International CES showed off some of the latest in robotic tech from the useful to the downright bizarre, here are some of the best.

Grillbot

This little steel-brushed robot takes the elbow grease out of cleaning the barbecue. Stick it on the grill, hit the button, and watch Grillbot quickly clean those grill bars, automatically regulating its speed and direction, moving around the grill until the timer is up. You don't even need to wait for the grill to cool.

Winbot

There are robot vacuum cleaners and robot mops so why not have a robot window cleaner? The Winbot sticks to your windows, travels 15cm per second and washes away the dirt and grime completely autonomously. Hit one button, stick it to the window and off it goes.

Famibot

If there's one robot that at least likes to think it does it all, it's the Famibot. The little tub of electronics will play music, take photos, live stream video and act as a home security camera, all while purifying the air around it and acting as a smoke sensor. It travels around 20cm a second and will last five hours on a single charge.

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Five Elements Budgee

Budgee is the ultimate little pack mule that'll follow you around by tracking your Bluetooth phone and carry all your shopping, laundry or gear. You can change the colour of its eyes, how far behind it lags and directly control it via a phone or tablet. Budgee will be on Kickstarter in the near future for $1,299 a pop.

iRobot Ava 500

Renowned robotics company, iRobot, which makes the Roomba and a bunch of military robots, showed off its new telepresence robot, Eva. Anyone can take charge of the bot and command it either directly, or through a pre-programmed route to anywhere with Wi-Fi, and chat at eye-level with friend, colleagues and even the boss.

Topy Survey Runner

One of the robots designed for and involved in the nuclear clean-up operation in Fukushima, Japan, the Survey Runner can climb stairs at up to a 45-degree angle. Its camera can map the inside of dangerous places, aiding in rescue and other operations within dangerous places like the inside of a nuclear reactor.

MantraroBot TeleMe

Another telepresence bot, with this one using a tablet or smartphone for a its head and costing significantly less than the iRobot. Remote users can drive the robot around the room, and chat via Skype or any other video chat app on Android or iOS. A prototype arm is in the works too, to allow users to remotely grab things, punch buttons and open doors.

Future Robot FURo-S

Possibly the creepiest robot at CES this year, the FURo-S is a service robot with a simulated human face for a head. Carrying a screen, the robot is designed with advertising or shopping in mind, and reacts to people through its facial, gesture and voice recognition all with an emoting face.

Tyche

This little robot is apparently the most intelligent smartphone robot in the world and is capable of recognising humans, hear and talk back, learn and solve problems autonomously. The child-friendly robot can be customised and programmed using an open software platform. It is even available in bulldozer, classic car and sports car frames, using an Android smartphone for a brain.

Vex IQ

The robot-building kit that fits together a bit like lego, incorporating sensors, motors, programmable brain and remote control, Vex IQ is aimed at teaching kids how to programme and build robots. There's even a global challenge that operates a bit like Robot Wars, except participants have to build a robot to complete a challenge, rather than fight to the death.

MiP

A collaboration with University College San Diego, the MiP robot is a self-balancing robot that looks like it is running around on a tiny Segway. The robot can be controlled via a Bluetooth smartphone and is designed to be hacked and built upon with an open software driving the mini dancing robot.

Rapiro

A programmable DIY robot kit, Rapiro builds a bot around either a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino board, allowing kids and adults to construct and programme their own robot. It has 12 servos throughout its body to move around and can be kitted out with a camera.

Robots make great toys too, and CES was jam-packed full of tech-infused playthings headed for this year's Christmas lists